The Evolution of Morality

When I was young, homosexuality was a criminal offense almost everywhere in the world. It is now legal in most countries, and same-sex marriage is recognized in dozens. Medical assistance in dying was, and in many places remains, a criminal act; it is now legal and regulated in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and several other countries. These changes happened faster than most people imagined possible, and in ways that no-one predicted. Understanding how moral consensus has shifted in the past is essential for understanding how the norms around AI, privacy, and algorithmic decision-making might change. The criminalization of homosexuality is often treated as an ancient prejudice that modernity finally overcame, but its legal form is specific and recent. The British Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885—under which Oscar Wilde was prosecuted—established the statutory framework that then spread through British colonial law to India, Kenya,…